Unexploded 2,000-Pound World War II Bomb Found in Hong Kong

A 2,000-pound unexploded bomb from World War II was found at a construction site in Hong Kong Thursday, prompting the evacuation of several hotels, state and local media reported.

Construction workers found the bomb while they were digging an underground section for a new hotel, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

A reporter from the South China Morning Post, based in Hong Kong, tweeted that the device was found in Happy Valley, an upper-income area of Hong Kong island.

Xinhua said a cordon had been put up at the site, where the Emperor Group is building a new hotel, and a bomb disposal team was on its way.

First published February 6 2014, 4:54 AM

Alexander Smith

Alexander Smith is a staff reporter at NBCNews.com based in London. He started work there in August 2013, and is responsible for finding, verifying, and writing breaking stories. He moved to NBC News from its standalone startup BreakingNews.com, where he was a breaking news editor. Before Breaking News, he was a reporter in the regional press where he covered crime and courts.